Category: Uncategorized

Montanans Launch Recall of Senators Who Approved NDAA Military Detention. Merry Christmas, US Senate

From the press release (last revised 12/28/2011):

Moving quickly on Christmas Day after the US Senate voted 86 – 14 to pass the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011 (NDAA) which allows for the indefinite military detention of American citizens without charge or trial, Montanans have announced the launch of recall campaigns against Senators Max Baucus and Jonathan Tester, and Congressman Denny Reberg, who all voted for the bill.

Montana is one of nine states with provisions that say that the right of recall extends to recalling members of its federal congressional delegation, pursuant to Montana Code 2-16-603, on the grounds of physical or mental lack of fitness, incompetence, violation of oath of office, official misconduct, or conviction of certain felony offenses.

Section 2 of Montana Code 2-16-603 reads:

“(2) A public officer holding an elective office may be recalled by the qualified electors entitled to vote for the elective officer's successor.”

The website Ballotpedia.org cites eight other states which allow for the recall of elected federal officials: Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wisconsin. New Jersey's federal recall law was struck down when a NJ state judge ruled that “the federal Constitution does not allow states the power to recall U.S. senators,” despite the fact the Constitution explicitly allows, by not disallowing (“prohibited” in the Tenth Amendment,) the states the power to recall US senators and congressmen:

Read rest of article/press release.

Phi Beta Iota:  This is being added as a Constitutional Issue at BigBatUSA.org.  It is absurd for any court to deny the right of a state to recall its own elected federal officials.

Fake Mitt Romney” Endorses Ron Paul before Iowa Caucus

Phi Beta Iota: A cultural retrospective.

December 2011

Free Speech For People is a national, non-partisan campaign seeking to restore democracy to the people and to ensure that people, not corporations, govern in America. FSFP is dedicated to overturning, through a 28th Amendment to the US Constitution, the US Supreme Court's January 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC and a corporate rights doctrine, which threatens our elections and our self-government.

As is demonstrated by the survey research we commissioned with Peter Hart and Hart Research Associates with the support of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, we face today an historic moment for uniting the country around a basic and common principle: government of, for, and by the people. During our first two years, Free Speech For People has laid the groundwork for a broad-based grassroots movement to seize this moment. The following is a summary of recent highlights of our work this year:

Continue reading “Reference: Free Speech for People – Update on Work to Overturn Supreme Court Ruling on Citizens United”

I agree with Johnson-Freese.

Strategy & Policy

‘Can Do' Must Replace ‘Give Me' In US Politics

By Joan Johnson-Freese

Published: December 30, 2011

My vote in the 2012 presidential election will go to the candidate who most resists pandering to the American electorate. I say “most resist,” as all candidates pander, but hopefully at least one of the presidential candidates will believe and act as if there should be a limit.

Read full article.

The following is a translation of “buying votes”……Not sure how this will sustain our national defense either……or how much of the money we borrowed and then granted to them in foreign military assistance!

Analysis: U.S. fighter sales soar in time for campaign

(Reuters) – Booming Middle East purchases of U.S. fighter jets will be a bright spot in what is expected to be a sluggish economy in 2012, possibly paying dividends for President Barack Obama's bid for a second term.

Beneficiaries include Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, whose respective F-16 and F-15 production lines are being extended by U.S. government sales to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Oman, among other rich arms deals announced in recent weeks.

Read rest of article.

Phi Beta Iota:  The only beneficiaries here are Lockheed Martin and Boeing executives and Class A stock-holders.  Everyone else gets screwed.  In addition, the jobs never materialize–this is a scam.

See Especially:

DefDog: Defense Contractors Start the Big Lie Again–Jobs PLUS Winslow Wheeler Defense Budget Facts RECAP

Winslow Wheeler: DoD Spending is a Jobs NEGATIVE

And Also:

Continue reading “DefDog: Saudi Defense Purchases. Obama Scam + RECAP”

We do not make this stuff up.

Goldman Sachs VP Changed Name, Now a Top Congressional Staffer

truth-out.org, Thursday 18 August 2011

by: Lee Fang, ThinkProgress | Report

Has Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) turned the House Oversight Committee into a bank lobbying firm with the power to subpoena and pressure government regulators? ThinkProgress has found that a Goldman Sachs vice president changed his name, then quietly went to work for Issa to coordinate his effort to thwart regulations that affect Goldman Sachs’ bottom line.

In July, Issa sent a letter to top government regulators demanding that they back off and provide more justification for new margin requirements for financial firms dealing in derivatives. A standard practice on Capitol Hill is to end a letter to a government agency with

contact information for the congressional staffer responsible for working on the issue for the committee. In most cases, the contact staffer is the one who actually writes such letters. With this in mind, it is important to note that the Issa letter ended with contact information for Peter Haller, a staffer hired this year to work for Issa on the Oversight Committee.

Issa’s demand to regulators is exactly what banks have been wishing for. Indeed, Goldman Sachs has spent millions this year trying to slow down the implementation of the new rules. In the letter, Issa explicitly mentions that the new derivative regulations might hurt brokers “such as Goldman Sachs.”

Read full story.

PhiBetaIota:  This reveals impeachable actions by the Representative, and very likely, criminal conflict of interest actions against the Goldman Sachs executive committing fraud.  The real question is: how many more moles are there across the US Government, in all three branches?  We can start with everyone who has a Top Secret clearance and is a dual US/Israeli citizen.